Obama vacation beat: Saturday, August 16

Martha's Vineyard artists Traeger di Pietro and Ken Vincent executed this painting of President Barack and Michelle Obama while an assembled crowd watched. Film and video specialist Chris Mara then projected the image onto the Edgartown LIghthouse. — Photo by Chris Mara

And on Saturday, there was no golf. The President and First Lady, referred to by the White House press pool at least, as POTUS (president of the United States) and FLOTUS, went to a private beach on Martha’s Vineyard’s south shore.

The President and First Lady then returned to their Chilmark rental home to rest and, presumably, rinse the sand off.

The press pool had a lovely dinner respite at the Homeport Restaurant in Menemsha, reported MV Times staff reporter Steve Myrick, where Chef Josh Aronie got seafood orders out for hungry poolers on a tight deadline.

The first couple moved on to State Road restaurant in West Tisbury, a frequent stop during their Vineyard vacations, where they dined with friends.

Meanwhile, in Edgartown, there were antics afoot at the lighthouse, where, according to Times correspondent Rich Saltzberg, well-known Island artists Ken Vincent and Traeger di Pietro collaborated on a portrait of President and Michelle Obama. During the entire process, film and video specialist Chris Mara projected the work in progress onto the lighthouse, to the cheers of the assembled.